I didn’t really have a plan in mind when I started this quilt, just wanted to make some cat blocks and use up some teal green fabrics

But 2 blocks didn’t work right, so I had to add some words

And then it was too short, so I needed to add some length top and bottom. When it became obvious the quilt needed pink rows, I was lucky to have enough in my stash because originally I’d only used scraps for the noses

For a quilt with no plan, it ended up kinda fun

#Quilting #InarticulateAlleyCats

This one is for the allies. Please boost to get wider reach.

I know you're upset about what's going on. Me too. And, like me, I bet you frequently have that feeling of wanting to throw your hands up and say, "But what can I do about it?"

Let me give you one of the most powerful tools you can use to help fight bigotry. And it's a tool that only you can use, because any marginalized person who uses it will be seen as aggrieved and immediately discounted.

What is this amazing tool? I call it

Dude. Not cool.

This phrase. Commit it to memory (or something like it that's more in character for you). Use it when someone around you is being a bigot. It's not an angry phrase, it's more one you deliver with bafflement, like you're confused the bigot just said what they said.

Simple social disapproval, particularly coming from peers, friends, or coworkers at the same level, is powerful. We all want to belong. Clearly but subtly voicing your disapproval (it has to be clearly understood by the bigot, for this to work) makes a real difference.

For it to really be effective, we need everyone to be doing it. If every bigot out there always caught shade every time they said some bigoted thing, they would stop doing it. So spread the word.

Use this simple tool to tap into millions of years of evolutionary social training.

Racism? Dude, not cool.
Misogyny? Dude, not cool.
Homophobia? Dude, not cool.

It works. It's low-risk (please don't use it if it feels dangerous to do so, though). It can change the world.

One of my students showed me the printed copy of the book Doug, a Doug Doug Story, by Douglas Scott Wrenden. It is 230 pages of just the word “Doug” printed again and again. It has sold 19 million copies worldwide.

My novel is a well-crafted narrative that blends Welsh myth and language into a beautiful story of magic and family loyalty. It has sold maybe 40 copies total.

I will be spending the rest of my day at the local bar, re-evaluating my sanity, thank you.

#Bookstodon

We are almost there folks hang in there

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